The speech of a president whose power is draining

Trump has backed himself into a corner on the wall from which there is no escape

edward luce

06.02.2019

Once a year, Donald Trump gives an uncharacteristically bipartisan speech to Congress. It is customarily sandwiched — often within hours — by venomous expressions of partisanship. Trump's 2019 State of the Union was no exception.

Earlier in the day, the president described Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, as a "nasty son of a bitch", and Joe Biden, the former vice-president, as "dumb". A few hours later he called on Americans to "rekindle the bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together".